Southern California -- this just in

Octomom Nadya Suleman files for personal bankruptcy

April 30, 2012 | 5:36
pm

"Octomom" Nadya Suleman filed for personal bankruptcy in Orange County Superior Court on Monday as her home in La Habra was set to go up for auction.

In court documents reviewed by the Orange County Register, Suleman said she had $50,000 in assets and up to $1 million in debts. "I have had to make some very difficult decisions this year, and filing Chapter 7 was one of them," Suleman said in a statement released to the paper by her spokeswoman. "But I have to do what is best for my children, and I need a fresh start."

Suleman and her 14 children could face eviction if the house is sold, which would compound her problems after recent allegations she had been neglecting her children while spending hundreds of dollars on herself for services such as Brazilian blowouts.

Officers from the La Habra Police Department accompanied social workers to Suleman's home last Tuesday after receiving a complaint, which said there was only one working toilet in the house and the children had to use portable training toilets in their bedrooms.

The complaint also said the children appeared to be malnourished and unclean, and Suleman locked them in their rooms while she attended to personal matters.

The social workers spent about two hours at the house and determined that the children were not in danger and should not be removed. The Orange County Department of Family and Children's Services continues to investigate.

Suleman gained worldwide attention in 2009 when she gave birth to octuplets and became instantly known as "Octomom."